According to UNN citing the National Olympic Committee and Suspilne Sport, Ukrainian freestyle skier Kateryna Kotsar advanced to the final in the big air qualification at the XXV Winter Olympic Games — the first time in Ukraine’s history a competitor has reached the final in this discipline at the Olympics. After her performance, Kotsar received a marriage proposal from her fiancé — an officer of the Armed Forces of Ukraine — adding a social and emotional dimension to the event.

This result was not handed to her easily: despite feeling unwell in recent days and difficult weather conditions, Kateryna delivered two confident runs and, with the 11th-best result, secured her place in the final. For a country that has traditionally had no representatives at this stage of the competition, this is an important step in international freestyle.

"Just an incredibly beautiful night and so many events. I still can’t process either one or the other (events), so I’ll answer that question a little later. Of course not — who would know about the proposal? To be honest, the last couple of days I felt awful, and I was very happy to wake up feeling the energy to compete. I thought the greatest victory would simply be to compete, to compete well. It seems I managed,"

— Kateryna Kotsar, freestyle skier, 2025 World Cup silver medalist

About the conditions and the performance

The qualification attempts took place in difficult weather conditions: it snowed all day, which complicated the big air jumps. At the same time, the athlete noted the quality of the ramp and the condition of the snow during the runs, which helped her post competitive results.

"A really excellent ramp, great snow condition. It snowed all day, I spent the whole day worrying that it would stop before our events, because snow during jumps doesn’t help at all. And the snow conditions are superb, and the ramp itself is great — everything’s great,"

— Kateryna Kotsar, freestyle skier

The proposal and symbolism

The proposal from the Armed Forces officer after the performance carries more than a romantic meaning for the audience: it became a visual marker of the unity of sport and the army — two spheres that currently hold the attention of Ukrainian society. Such scenes reinforce a sense of solidarity and provide an emotional impulse that goes beyond the sporting protocol.

At the same time, Kateryna used the moment to show support for a colleague: during her run there was the inscription "Freedom of memory" on her glove — a reaction to the disqualification of Vladyslav Heraskevych. This is a reminder that athletes are not indifferent to issues of fairness within their community.

"To be honest, when Vladyslav was disqualified, it really was a very sad event for me, I was deeply affected by it. I thought that I needed to do something very serious. But in the end those thoughts began to wear me out a bit. So I settled on an idea that sounded the coolest, the most harmonious and understandable to me. And right before the third attempt I made that inscription,"

— Kateryna Kotsar, freestyle skier

What’s next

Now attention shifts to the final: the sporting result will determine whether this emotional moment will turn into another reason for national pride. It is also a reminder to media and sponsors: stories that combine high achievement and social messages have the potential to influence support for athletes and the development of sport in the country.

Sources: UNN, National Olympic Committee, Suspilne Sport.